Zokatos

Inspired by the counterculture of the 1990s, Zokatos naturally gravitated toward street art as his medium for expression. He retained graffiti's raw energy, its emotive power, and unique approach to painting with markers and spray paint; but has shifted from wall art onto canvas as his work has advanced; though still employing street art techniques predominantly through markers and spray paint. Zokatos' vibrant compositions stand in stark contrast to Parisian bloc buildings where he lived while growing up.

Zokatos, at 29 years old, has already produced an extensive body of work. His art represents an innovative synthesis between street art and abstract art that effortlessly transitions between spray paint, watercolor painting and sculpture. His non-figurative aesthetic characterized by vibrant forms and colors contrasts with his spontaneous artistic gestures to provide an allegory for an urban artist's dilemma between gallery spaces where their artwork might reside as well as canvas as necessary yet often disdained tool of their trade.

Zokatos draws his artistic influences from artists of the New York School, from Jackson Pollock's action painting and Sam Francis' post-painterly abstraction, as well as from lyrical abstraction artists such as Georges Mathieu, Gerard Schneider, and Hans Hartung. Painting serves not only an act but is deeply integrated into his life through creating dynamic dialogues between urban environment and his artistic endeavor.